


Down the Rabbit Hole

by AylaPascal



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dubious Consent, F/M, Infidelity, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 19:01:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4533555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AylaPascal/pseuds/AylaPascal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione makes a deal with her boss to in order represent Lucius Malfoy at his appeal. However, she gets more than she bargained for when she is sucked into a dangerous affair with her client.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Lucius/Hermione is the 'infidelity pairing' while Ron and Hermione are married. Snape/Harry is a background pairing as is Ron/Pansy. Thank you so much to emerald_dragon8 for betaing this! This was originally written for the 2010 wizard_love for venturous1

The words were out of Hermione's mouth before she could think. "What if you gave me the Lucius Malfoy case?"   
  
Judith pursed her lips. "Why would you ever want that case? It's hopeless. In any case, Malfoy has fired our firm. He prefers to represent himself in front of the Wizengamot and I wish him luck in that endeavour."   
  
Hermione took a deep breath. Now that she'd said it, she couldn't back down. Not with Judith Blake as her boss anyway. As far as she was aware, Judith slept at the office. She had once gotten in at six am to find Judith at her desk with a steaming cup of coffee, looking over briefs and parchments. "If I win the Malfoy case then I get to choose my own cases. At least fifty per cent of them."   
  
Judith raised an eyebrow. "Why would I let you do that, Hermione? I have no doubt that you'll choose those pro bono cases you're always trying to convince the partners to go for." She examined a perfectly manicured fingernail.   
  
"It'll help our publicity," Hermione blurted out.   
  
"Go on," Judith said slowly, looking up at her.   
  
"The new laws regarding the Imperius Curse are rather controversial," Hermione pointed out. "It has gotten rid of a legitimate defence for many people. Yes, it has been abused in the past. Yes, Lucius Malfoy may have abused it; however, it doesn't mean that it should be abolished as a valid defence altogether."   
  
Judith raised an eyebrow. "That's true."   
  
"Plus, if we win the Malfoy case, which you say is impossible, then everybody will hire us. If I take pro bono work in the future, then it'll also help bolster our image," Hermione said.   
  
Judith smiled thinly. "I doubt that having one of my best new associates campaigning for house elf rights will benefit our image, but you're right about the other aspect." To Hermione's surprise, Judith held out a hand for her to shake. "Very well. We have a deal."   
  
Hesitantly, Hermione put out her hand. This was too easy. Far too easy. She knew Judith too well for this. Even the new cleaner who had only been working in the building for a week knew Judith too well for this.   
  
"However," Judith added, her smile widening, "if you should lose, then I expect not a single peep out of you about house elf rights or the rights of any other disenfranchised creatures you might care about for the rest of your career here. You will work on the cases I assign you and only those cases." She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her comfortable leather chair to regard Hermione through slightly lidded eyes. "I already give you too much leeway around here."   
  
Hermione mentally snorted. She knew she got the leeway because she could come up with the good ideas. She didn't exactly get her pick of the cases even now. She had been campaigning for the firm to have a bigger pro bono section; however, it wasn't for house elf rights. She had given up on that hopeless idea a long time ago. "Agreed," she said with a nod. She crossed her fingers behind her back and hoped that she hadn't just made the biggest mistake of her life.   
  


-***-

  
  
"Long day at work?" Ron asked as he rubbed her shoulders.   
  
"Mmm," Hermione said, closing her eyes and sinking into his embrace. "A lot of paperwork."   
  
Ron kissed the back of her neck and she felt a pleasant shiver slide through her. "How about we do something interesting on top of the paperwork?" he suggested as he nibbled on one of her ears. "You look like you need a distraction."   
  
Hermione was tempted. She laughed as she turned around in her chair and kissed him. "I also need to get this done," she pointed out. "You know I do." She nuzzled him and then leaned back with an apologetic look on her face. "I've got a lot of work."   
  
Ron pouted. "But what about your poor neglected husband?"   
  
Hermione poked him. "What about him?" she teased. "When he gets back, I'll tend to him."   
  
Ron stuck his tongue out at her and then leaned forward to kiss her again. "Okay, I'll let you get back to work," he said cheerfully. "What are you working on anyway?"   
  
"I have a new case," she said, turning back to her papers. "I'm representing Lucius Malfoy."   
  
There was a silence. Hermione almost thought that Ron had left the room, except when she turned around, she saw him still standing there staring at her. "Lucius Malfoy?" he repeated, sounding incredulous.   
  
Hermione stared at him. She never thought that Ron would have a problem with it. "Yes..." she said slowly.   
  
"Did you forget what he did to Ginny?" Ron burst out. "What about the fact that he hates my family? Or yours, for that matter! He's a racist git and you shouldn't represent him!"   
  
"I shouldn't?" Hermione repeated quietly.   
  
"I didn't mean it that way," Ron said, sounding tired. "You know that. But, Hermione, how can you represent him? Knowing who he is? Knowing he deserves Azkaban for life?"   
  
Hermione bit her lip. "Everybody deserves representation." That was, in fact, one of Judith's favourite sayings. Of course, it mostly only extended to those who could afford representation. Hermione never thought she'd be repeating the phrase verbatim to her husband. She usually disagreed vehemently with Judith.   
  
Ron looked mutinous. "But some deserve it more than others."   
  
She raised her eyebrow. "I never realised you read Orwell."   
  
Ron just looked confused.   
  
"Never mind," Hermione said with a sigh. "Look, I haven't even met with him yet. He hadn't even agreed to let me represent him. I'm just reviewing the case file. Besides, Judith agreed to let me do pro bono work if I win this case." She hesitated. "If I don't win the case, I'm basically her slave."   
  
From the expression on Ron's face, Hermione suspected that this was less than reassuring to him. She sighed softly. It wasn't as though she didn't understand his reasoning. She did. It was just that she was doing this for a greater cause that was definitely nothing to do with Lucius Malfoy. There were plenty of disenfranchised groups within the wizarding world that didn't have the money to represent themselves within the legal system. She needed to help them. But she knew from the expression on Ron's face that this wasn't the right time to argue the point with him.   
  


-***-

  
  
Hermione felt unaccountably nervous as she sat in the visitor's waiting room inside Azkaban. She knew that there were no longer any Dementors within Azkaban's walls but the entire place still made her feel rather nervous. It was as though the years of having Dementors here had permeated into the walls. She normally wasn't a superstitious person, but looking around, Hermione decided that if auras existed, then Azkaban would definitely have a negative one. Not that she believed in auras, of course.   
  
"Mrs Weasley?"   
  
Hermione looked up. The guard was gesturing for her to follow him.   
  
"Mr Malfoy is in one of visitor's rooms," the guard told her. "There are silencing spells up already for the room; however, you are also welcome to put up your own. Most lawyers tend to prefer that." They stopped outside a door marked Visitor Room Three.   
  
"Thank you," Hermione said, her fingers tightening around her briefcase. She looked down at her neatly buttoned up robes. It had taken her over ten minutes that morning to decide whether to go with her Muggle suit or wizard style robes. Her workplace had contacts in the Muggle world and she was often expected to dress for it; however, most people chose robes while within the wizarding world. She had finally decided upon robes as being less antagonistic. There was no need to throw the fact that she was Muggle-born in Lucius Malfoy's face. He already knew that, after all.   
  
"I'll be down the hall," the guard said, giving her a friendly smile. "You are authorised to use any and all spells to subdue the prisoner if necessary. Although, given that he has a magic-dampening bracelet and is magically handcuffed against violence, it shouldn't be necessary."   
  
Hermione nodded, and watched as the guard walked away. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the door handle and twisted it. Her first impression of the room was that it was small, almost cramped. She entered it and shut the door tightly behind her.   
  
Lucius looked up from where he was seated. "Figures," he drawled, "that the Ministry would choose to appoint a Muggle-born lawyer to my case."   
  
"We're both going to have to make do," Hermione told him crisply as she sat down on the other end of the table. She had decided against telling him that she had chosen this case. "Now, I'm going to have to put up silencing spells."   
  
Lucius looked almost amused, as if he had expected her to do nothing. "Go right ahead. I've got all day."   
  
Hermione gritted her teeth as she took out her wand and concentrated. From what she could feel, the guard had told the truth. There were already silencing spells up that were woven into the very walls of the room. However, from what she sensed, these hadn't been renewed for a very long time. She added her own spells to the walls, and wove a privacy net over the ceiling and floor just to be sure.   
  
"You're thorough," Lucius remarked, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose I ought to be glad."   
  
She spread her files out on the table. "Yes," she told him, "you should be. I'm the lawyer who will keep you from rotting in Azkaban for the next hundred years of your life."   
  
Lucius stared at her.   
  
Hermione wanted to squirm under his gaze, but she mentally schooled herself to keep still. He was just trying to psych her out. She knew that. She returned his gaze steadily.   
  
"At least you're strong," he finally remarked after what seemed like minutes had passed. "You'll be better than the last idiot."   
  
Hermione resisted the urge to give a wry laugh. It was true that the Lucius Malfoy defence team seemed to have been staffed with idiots since the end of the war. The last lawyer he'd had went with the defence of the Imperius Curse, notwithstanding the fact that that had been overturned as a valid defence with the Wizengamot Reforms. "Rest assured, Mr Malfoy," she said crisply. "You will be more than adequately represented."   
  
"I have no doubts about that," he said, to her surprise. "Draco always told me about your marks at Hogwarts."   
  
She wrinkled her nose involuntarily. It brought back memories of Hogwarts that she didn't want. Draco was a brat back then. Nowadays, she saw him occasionally in the street, and he always gave her a polite smile, but they never spoke. "I'm glad you have faith in my abilities," she said stiffly. "I will be reviewing your files over the next few weeks. I expect that I will have to come over every few days to corroborate statements."   
  
"It's not as though I have anywhere to go," Lucius told her.   
  
She decided to take that as a yes. "However, today, I would like you to go over what happened between you and You-Know-Who during your Death Eater years in your own words."   
  
Lucius stared at her.   
  
"This is necessary, Mr Malfoy," she told him.   
  
"You can call me Lucius," he said unexpectedly. "You don't seem completely incompetent, Hermione."   
  
Hermione pursed her lips. Somehow, Lucius managed to make a compliment seem like a complete insult. "Thank you for that glowing praise," she said snidely. "Now, I do need an answer to my question."   
  
Lucius's eyes glittered. "I killed Mudbloods and Muggles indiscriminately. I served the Dark Lord the best I could. Is that what you want to hear?"   
  
"I want the _truth_ ," she stressed. "You weren't with You-Know-Who up until the end. You turned. You claimed to be under the Imperius Curse during the first war. Now, while I know that's a lie, it still belies your statement that you served You-Know-Who the best you could."   
  
"I very much doubt you want to know the answers to these questions," Lucius said icily. "And I do not wish to share the answers."   
  
Hermione sat back in her chair and folded her arms. "Then we're at an impasse," she said. "As your lawyer, I need to know the entire story. I may not have all the time in the world, but I am very patient. I can wait."   
  
Lucius sneered. "You'll be waiting a long time."   
  
"I see that this conversation will be going nowhere today," Hermione said. She pushed her chair back and gathered up her filed. "I will be back soon. Perhaps you will be more willing to share information then? Need I remind you of attorney-client privilege?"   
  
Lucius was silent.   
  
Hermione pulled her wand out of her pocket again, and removed the wards she had placed up. "Have a good day, Mr Malfoy," she told him as she opened the door and left.   
  


-***-

  
  
Ron looked up from where he was sprawled out on the couch reading a Quidditch magazine. "I take it your day didn't go too well," he said.   
  
"What makes you say that?" Hermione said sharply as she hung up her coat. She placed her bag on the ground, and began taking off her shoes. It was certainly true that her day could have gone better. It was long, and she certainly didn't appreciate Lucius insulting her. After her visit to Azkaban, she had ended up working in her office for several hours just to brush up on the details of the case.   
  
"You look tired," Ron said simply as he swung his feet over the side of the couch. He came up behind her and kissed her on the ear. "Sweetheart, let's go out for dinner tonight."   
  
"You could have said that before I took my shoes off," Hermione complained but she was smiling. "And yes, you're right. My day could have gone better."   
  
Ron waggled his eyebrows. "I could say 'I told you so' but I won't." He kissed her on the lips softly. "I know my wife and she's a brilliant lawyer. If Malfoy doesn't want you as his lawyer, then it's his loss."   
  
"Thanks," Hermione said softly as she leaned forward into his embrace. She rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady sound of his heartbeat. There was nothing more comforting to her than being in Ron's arms. "Hopefully the next meeting will go better."   
  
She could feel Ron stiffen slightly.   
  
"Remember the deal I made with Judith?" Hermione reminded him. She lifted her head slightly and rubbed her nose in the v-shape of his collar. Ron made a distracted noise. "I want to win this, Ron. Think about how good it would be for my career."   
  
He sighed. "You should have told me you were so career-orientated before I married you."   
  
Hermione looked up and rolled her eyes at the twinkle in Ron's eyes. She swatted him. "Oh shut up," she said. "Come on. Let's go and get dinner."   
  


-***-

  
  
Hermione looked up as Judith stopped by her desk. "I'm just popping out for a coffee," Judith said casually. "Did you want one?"   
  
"No, thanks," Hermione said. She couldn't help but suspect an ulterior motive. Judith wasn't normally the type to offer other people coffee. In fact, Judith was far more likely to demand that her employees fetch her coffee -- double shot, skim caramel latte, Hermione remembered wryly. She held up her half-full cup. "I already have one."   
  
Judith gave her a brief smile. "Last chance... I'm going now."   
  
"I'm fine," Hermione said.   
  
She was about to turn back to her work, when Judith leaned forward. "By the way, how's the Malfoy case coming along?" Judith asked.   
  
"Excellently," Hermione said blandly.   
  
Judith raised one of her eyebrows. "No problems with getting statements from him? You're doing well."   
  
Hermione narrowed her eyes as she watched her boss walk off towards the coffee shop. She longed to grab one of the pictures frames on her desk and throw it at Judith's head. It was obvious that she knew of the problems Hermione had been having. With a sigh, she turned back to the files detailing Lucius's previous trials and appeals. She needed to figure out a fantastic defence for Lucius in order to win the case.   
  


-***-

  
  
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed with a smile. She hurried across the crowded cafe and hugged him. "How've you been? How's Severus? It's been so long since we've caught up."   
  
Harry returned her smile. "We're both good."   
  
They sat down together at an empty table, and Hermione ordered a cup of tea from a passing waiter. "How's your job been?" she asked after a brief pause. "Ron and I never get to see you much nowadays."   
  
"It's been interesting," Harry admitted. "I'm away from home a lot conferencing with my Muggle counterparts. Severus complains a lot about the Muggle gadgets I bring back." He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a shiny silver mobile phone. "These mobile phone things, did you know they have touch pads now?"   
  
Hermione picked it up the sleek phone and laughed. "My parents still use their landline and I've never had a use for these. It's pretty though." She turned the phone over in her hands, the silver casing glinting in the light. She still remembered the first time she'd seen a mobile phone. They were so awkward and clunky back then. It was interesting how much the Muggle world had changed since her childhood, and how much the wizarding world seemed to have remained the same.   
  
Harry looked thoughtful. "I don't suppose you would. How's your job been? I heard from Ron last week that you've taken on Lucius Malfoy as a client. That has to be interesting."   
  
"It's certainly unique," Hermione said. She wasn't sure why Harry had brought that up and in all honesty, she didn't really want to talk about it. "Ron doesn't seem too happy about it though." The waiter returned, placing her cup of tea on the table. She lifted her cup, and took a sip, closing her eyes as she tasted the sharp tang of lemon.   
  
"Really?"   
  
Hermione nodded. "I don't know why," she confessed, "but he doesn't seem to want me to work on this case."   
  
Harry looked hesitant. "Don't take this the wrong way, Hermione, but I agree with Ron. Maybe you should rethink having him as your client."   
  
Hermione set her teacup down on the saucer with a bigger clatter than she had intended. "Why?" she said, her voice frosty. She had enough of this at home with Ron. They'd had another huge fight about it the previous night. She really didn't need Harry telling her the same thing.   
  
"I was talking to Severus about it last night," Harry said carefully. He was looking anywhere but at her. "He mentioned that perhaps it would be better if Lucius Malfoy remained in Azkaban."   
  
Hermione couldn't believe her ears. "Perhaps you ought to remind Severus," she said, through gritted teeth, "that if it weren't for people like me, then he would have been facing a very long sentence in Azkaban himself. Lucius may not be a pleasant person. In fact, you know that I find his politics personally abhorrent; however, he deserves a legal representative as much as everybody else."   
  
"You're calling him Lucius now?" Harry asked, finally looking straight at her.   
  
"I can't very well call him Mr Malfoy every day," Hermione retorted, narrowing her eyes. "I'm on a first name basis with all my clients. It makes it easier."   
  
"I guess," Harry said, sounding doubtful. His face cleared and he smiled at her. "I didn't mean to be so insistent before. It's just that... Malfoy's a dangerous man."   
  
Hermione gave a wry smile. "I know that," she said. "Of course, I know he's dangerous."   
  
Harry looked troubled. "Just promise me that you'll be careful."   
  
She rolled her eyes. By the way Harry was going on, it was as if he believed that Lucius would kidnap her in order to drag her back to his cave so that he could have his wicked way with her. Nothing like that was going to happen. Lucius hadn't always been polite the few times she had met with him privately; however, he wasn't stupid enough to do anything to his lawyer. He knew as well as anybody else that this was his last appeal before the Wizengamot. He wasn't going to jeopardise his chances at freedom. "I will," she said, slightly exasperated.   
  


-***-

  
  
"How was your lunch?" Ron asked. There was a clinking noise as he placed something down on the bench next to her.   
  
"Okay," Hermione said cautiously, looking up from where she was chopping onions. She resisted the urge to wipe her eyes with her onion juice stained fingers. "Oh, good, you brought the oregano."   
  
Ron looked mildly affronted. "You asked me to get some this morning. Of course, I got it."   
  
Hermione bit her lip as she walked over to rinse her hands at the sink. She reached into the cupboard and held up her own bottle of oregano. "I'm afraid I picked some up when I had lunch with Harry."   
  
"Then why'd you ask me to get it?"   
  
Hermione opened her mouth, about to say something angry when she suddenly realised that they were about to have an argument about oregano. "Do you know how silly we sound?" she asked. "It's not like oregano goes off anyway." She put down her knife and walked over to kiss Ron on the cheek. "Thanks for picking it up."   
  
He looked rueful. "I know I didn't pick up the toilet paper last time when you asked. I don't blame you."   
  
She swatted him, and went back to chopping up vegetables. "You might be interested to know that Harry agrees with you," she said as she was chopping.   
  
"Hmm?" Ron asked.   
  
"Harry just told me how he and Severus believe that I shouldn't have Lucius as a client," Hermione said, unable to keep the note of irritation out of her voice.   
  
"Well, you can't really blame him for having that opinion," Ron said.   
  
She bit her lip. "I suppose not," she agreed. "But I'm still representing him. Even if his views make me want to throw up."   
  
Ron came up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Not in the tomato sauce!" he said in mock horror. "Otherwise, how would we ever make spaghetti tonight?"   
  
Hermione giggled as she leaned back into his arms.   
  


-***-

  
  
"You haven't been home on time in forever," Ron complained.   
  
Hermione cuddled up to him on the couch. "I'm here now," she pointed out. "I'm going to be here all night." She nuzzled his arm, but he didn't seem to get the message.   
  
Instead, Ron twisted around to look down at her. "You're always working late on the case," he said quietly. I know you said it's important, but isn't this important as well?" He gestured around the room. "I have opportunities to work late too but I don't take them because I want to be home with you."   
  
She bit her tongue to stop the torrent of words that threatened to spill out. "We're different people, Ron," she said as she pulled herself upright. "I like ..." she trailed off.   
  
"You what?" Ron demanded. "You like your job?"   
  
"I didn't mean it that way," she protested. "Can't we go back to being on the couch and watching that Muggle movie my parents sent over?"   
  
Ron ignored her. "I like my job too," he snapped. "Believe it or not, it's a thrill catching bad guys and putting them in Azkaban. I love you more though. I want to be home with you more than I want to be at work."   
  
"I love you too, Ron," Hermione said. "It's just my work's important too. I don't like my work more than you... but it's still important!"   
  
Ron sighed as he settled back down on the couch. "I know," he said softly. He held out his arms. "Come here."   
  
As she settled back down into their earlier position, Hermione couldn't help but think that the peacefulness of earlier had been erased. As she curled up in the crook of Ron's arms, she still felt tense, as though they were still in the middle of an argument. Although, she reflected, they kind of were. They tended to always bury their arguments in what had originally seemed to be a never-ending pit; however, recently, she had begun to see overflow from the pit. It seemed that their relationship wasn't as infallible as she originally thought.   
  
With a sigh, she tilted her head and kissed Ron on the neck. He smiled down at her.   
  


-***-

  
  
"I need to go to work," Hermione said quietly as she neatly stacked her files together and placed them in her bag. "I won't be back until late." She didn't look at Ron; she didn't want to see the expression on his face.   
  
"This is the third time this week," Ron said. His voice was slow, careful and measured, the tone of voice he always used whenever he was about to start shouting.   
  
"I have an important job." Hermione regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. She didn't mean for the words to sound that way, but she knew there was no way that Ron would believe her.   
  
"You have an _important_ job?" Ron repeated incredulously. "Are you trying to tell me that being an Auror isn't as important as being a lawyer? Are you trying to say that somehow standing in front of the Wizengamot wearing pretty robes is more important than chasing after the bad guys?"   
  
Hermione gritted her teeth. "No," she snapped. "Of course not. I didn't mean that. You're putting words in my mouth, Ron."   
  
"Well, I need to put them there, don't I?" Ron said loudly. "Lately, the only words you've directed towards me are about you being home late from work, or needing to work longer hours."   
  
Hermione put on her coat and buttoned it up. She picked up her umbrella and slung her bag over her arm. "I need to go," she said evenly. She needed to be at work. It was important for her case. Lucius's last appeal was very soon. She had to be there for him. It wasn't as though she was abandoning Ron. She narrowed her eyes. "This is important, Ron."   
  
He let out a long sigh. "Of course it is," he said, with a nasty edge in his tone. "It's always more important than us."   
  
She leaned over Ron's chair to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll talk about it later," she promised, absentmindedly.   
  


-***-

  
  
"We need to come up with witnesses," Hermione said as she flipped through his case files. Reaching over, she took a bite of one of the bread rolls that the guard had brought in earlier. She stared at the bread. "Urgh," she said, putting it down. It was stuffed with nuts and berries, and was rather heavily spiced. "This is far too rich."   
  
"The food here could be improved," Lucius said blandly.   
  
She stared suspiciously at him. Was that a joke? "The stew isn't bad," she said, taking another mouthful. It too seemed to be heavily spiced, but it was pleasantly warming to her stomach. She noticed that Lucius only had a couple of mouthfuls of his meal. "We're going to be here a while," she reminded him.   
  
He curled his upper lip. "I'm not hungry. After years here, I've found that my appetite has diminished. My appetite for food anyway."   
  
She could have sworn that Lucius leered at her. There was a strange look in his eyes. If it was anybody else, then Hermione would have thought the look was that of sexual attraction, of lust, but this was Lucius Malfoy, and the mere idea that he would be looking at her with anything other than revulsion was laughable. "You haven't mentioned what you did during the years during the two wars," she said, pointing to her neatly drawn schedule. "If you managed to stay out of trouble for those years, then that would be a strong defence."   
  
Lucius frowned. "You can likely get the records from Narcissa; however, I think she is in France with her family."   
  
Hermione made a note. She wondered if she could get Narcissa back to testify against Lucius. Given that they were divorced, she wouldn't have spousal privilege any more. As she absent-mindedly took another bite of the roll, Hermione fanned herself with a piece of paper. It was getting awfully hot in the room. "Is it always so warm in here?"   
  
Lucius shrugged.   
  
Hermione watched him shift slightly in his seat. Somehow, she found herself noticing every small action he made. Lucius lifted a hand to tuck his silvering hair behind his ear, and she shivered. Stop it, Hermione told herself firmly as she turned back to the documents but to no avail. She couldn't seem to concentrate properly on her work. She was feeling a strange of curl of warmth in her stomach, and there was a familiar ache deep inside her.   
  
With horror, Hermione realised that she was aroused. Surreptitiously, she pressed her palm against her neck, and realised that she was perspiring.   
  
"Are you feeling all right?"   
  
Startled, Hermione looked up. "I'm fine," she said abruptly.   
  
Lucius stood up, and walked around to where she was sitting. He sat down on the table and peered intently down at her. "You don't look fine," he said lightly. "You're sweating and your pupils are dilated."   
  
Hermione could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she sat back in her chair trying to put as much distance as she could between herself and Lucius. "Maybe I'm coming down with something," she said tartly. "After all, my immunity to Muggle illnesses isn't as good as it used to be."   
  
To her surprise, Lucius smirked. "I don't think that's what it is," he said with a knowing smile. He reached forward, and ran a light fingertip over her forearm.   
  
Hermione shivered as she saw goosebumps appear on her arm. "That was entirely inappropriate," she said, but her voice seemed to lack the desired effect. The simple touch of Lucius's fingertip on her arm seemed to have opened the floodgates inside her. She could feel herself getting wet just from the proximity and the heat in his eyes.   
  
"Of course it was," Lucius drawled.   
  
She was flummoxed. She hadn't expected him to admit it.   
  
Lucius leaned closer, so close that she could smell the sharp tang of the soap they gave all Azkaban inmates. His breath was warm on her face. "So what are you going to do about it?"   
  
Hermione opened her mouth to say that she would report him to the guards and to the Legal Commission; however, she found herself reaching up to touch the side of his face instead. The skin there was surprisingly soft. She saw a flicker of lust in Lucius's eyes that made her weak at the knees. She suspected that if she had been standing up, then she would have fallen over.   
  
"Now, just what are you doing," Lucius said in a low voice as Hermione traced the line of his jaw slowly.   
  
She wasn't sure. Her mind felt almost as though it was fuzzy except for one thing and that was Lucius. She could see him clearly and once she did, it felt like the rest of the world just fell away and didn't matter. "This," she said and half stood up to drag him down for a kiss. As she did, Hermione thought she could see a flicker of surprise in his eyes. It was only there for a second, and then the world seemed to tremble as his lips met hers.   
  


-***-

  
  
Hermione's hands were shaking as she let herself in the front door. She found herself wishing that for once, Ron would be home late, but from the light on in the kitchen, it was apparent that he wasn't. She sniffed. From the smell wafting in from the kitchen, it seemed that Ron had been cooking dinner. A wave of guilt assaulted her. Despite the arguments they had been having lately, it was obvious that Ron loved her. How could she have thrown herself at Lucius? The very thought of it made her feel nauseated now. In fact, now that she was thinking about it, she couldn't figure out how it had happened. It was as though one minute, she had been thinking about how strange the roll tasted and the next minute, she found herself virtually attacking him.   
  
She shook her head to dissipate the memories. She didn't want to think about it. She knew that she ought to tell Ron but the as soon as she opened her mouth, she closed it again. The words seemed stuck in her throat. She couldn't tell him. She couldn't bear to see the look of betrayal on his face and to deal with the consequences. It was a mistake that could cause her not only her marriage but her career and possibly her friends. A wry smile twisted her lips. It wasn't as though she had kissed Neville or somebody like that. Lucius was not only her client but he was a former Death Eater. It was wrong with a capital 'w'.   
  
It was a one-off mistake, Hermione told herself vehemently, ignoring the knot of doubt in her stomach. She wasn't going to do it again.   
  
"Hey," Ron said as he poked his head around the kitchen door. His shirt was dusted lightly with flour. "I thought I'd try to make us dinner." He gave her a sheepish smile. "I don't think it ended up too well."   
  
"Oh Ron," Hermione said. She walked over, and wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks for trying," she said as she buried her nose in his collar, breathing in his unique smell. "I'm sure it'll be fantastic."   
  
Ron stepped backwards looking confused. "What have you done with my wife?" he asked good-naturedly. "She normally isn't anywhere near as accepting about my cooking." He winked. "Say, how about we go up to the bedroom before Hermione gets back."   
  
Hermione rolled her eyes.   
  
"Seriously, though," Ron said, sounding concerned. "Are you okay? You look a little upset."   
  
Hermione forced a smile. "I'm fine. It was just a hard day."   
  
Ron leaned over and kissed her. "My lasagne will make it all better," he promised. "Least the non-burnt, non-soggy bits will." He grinned, and she was suddenly reminded of the last time he had cooked for her. It had been over a year ago, and she had found it a really sweet, if ultimately futile, gesture. They had ended up going out for take-out after the food had been declared inedible.   
  
"Should I go and dust off our take-out menus?" she teased.   
  
"I think you might need to," he said ruefully.   
  


-***-

  
  
"Do you realise that's the third time in less than two minutes you've mentioned Lucius Malfoy?" Harry said sharply, his forehead creased with a frown.   
  
Hermione took a deep breath. Did Harry know? Did he know that she had cheated on Ron? Could he tell by the way she looked and the way she acted? The logical part of her mind knew that it was ridiculous, and that there was no way that Harry would know just by looking at her, but her emotions seemed to be thrumming like an electrical field. "Well, I am working on his case," she said irritably.   
  
"I didn't want to have lunch with you to talk about him," Harry returned. "I've tried to change the topic, but you keep on bringing it back to him."   
  
Hermione blinked. She didn't know she was doing that. "Sorry," she muttered.   
  
Harry looked at her for a few seconds before laughing softly. "There's no need to look so guilty. I know that you're stressed about the case. I just want to hear about other aspects about your life, not just the Death Eater you represent."   
  
She bit back a retort that after the death of You-Know-Who, Lucius was a former Death Eater. "I know," she said, with a sigh. "And I haven't asked how you are yet! I'm sorry, Harry."   
  
"No problem. Although," he added thoughtfully, "the way you were going on about him. I would have thought that you were obsessed about him or something."   
  
"Ha," Hermione said dryly. "That would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?"   
  
Harry grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione pressed her palms together to calm her nerves. She was going to keep this meeting professional. She had to keep this meeting professional. What happened last time was a mistake, and it was definitely not going to happen again. She loved Ron; she was not going to do this to him. Taking a deep breath, she reached forward and entered the room. Almost automatically, she waved her wand to set up privacy shields.   
  
The look Lucius gave her was distinctly unprofessional as was the smirk that was playing about his lips. "You ran out of here so quickly last time," he drawled.   
  
"Last time," she said frostily, "was an utterly inappropriate moment that will never happen again." She sat down at the table and began to pull files out. "I have discovered discrepancies in your trial that we should focus on."   
  
"Certainly," Lucius said as he stood up and rounded the table. She felt like she couldn't breathe properly with him standing over her. He had so much presence.   
  
Hermione leaned back in her chair. "This is inappropriate," she snapped. "Entirely inappropriate."   
  
"You keep on saying that," Lucius said, sounding amused as he leaned against the edge of the table. "Yet, I don't see you moving."   
  
She had to concede that point. She wasn't moving. Hermione suspected that if she did move, then it would be straight into his arms. Hence, she kept her hands clenched in her lap. "I would appreciate it if you would go back to your seat," she said stiffly.   
  
Lucius leaned down so that his mouth was only a few centimetres away from her ear. She only had to half turn her head, and she would have been staring right into his eyes. "Certainly, Hermione," he said, his breath caressing her ear, causing her to shiver. She hadn't felt like this for years. It wasn't as bad as the last time she had been here, but it still felt as though she was a teenager again and hormones were raging through her body.   
  
Hermione was almost disappointed when he went back around the table and sat down. She reached down to open up her folder. "I have more documents for you to sign," she said, and slid them across the table.   
  
"Anything," he said, a gleam in his eyes.   
  
She handed him a pen. "Just your signature will be fine," she said. "At the end of all of these documents and you also need to initial every page."   
  
With distaste, Lucius stared at the pen. "Don't you have a quill?"   
  
"Actually, no," Hermione lied. "I find that pens are much neater than quills. Much less ink spillage." That was true, she reflected, but she tended to carry around quills anyway. She found that a lot of higher-ups in her department were offended when she handed them pens. Personally, she hated quills. They were rather unwieldy, and far too feathery for her liking. She hid a smile, as she watched Lucius wrinkle his nose as he tried to use the pen. She was glad she had the upper hand at last.   
  
"These pens aren't bad," Lucius commented, a few minutes later as he handed back the papers.   
  
Hermione found herself grinning at him. "See? I told you." She'd been trying to get Ron to use pens for years, but always refused.   
  


-***-

  
  
The evening had started perfectly normally. Ron had seemed slightly irked when she got back from work late for the third night in a row, but he had calmed down. They had decided to go out and pick up some takeout. It was then that the argument had started. Before this, Hermione had never realised that it was possible to have a fight over whether to get Chinese takeout or Indian takeout.   
  
"It's always what _you_ want!" Ron shouted, as he ran a hand through his shock of red hair. It made the hair stick up at weird angles, making him look more furious.   
  
"All I said was that we should figure out whether we've had Chinese or Indian more often this month and pick the one we haven't frequented as much," Hermione protested. "You said you didn't mind which one we had!"   
  
"I don't mind," Ron snapped. "That isn't the point. As always, Hermione, you're completely missing the point. Like when you missed the reason why my mother asked you to wear her old wedding gown?"   
  
Hermione stood up from the sofa, and narrowed her eyes. Ron always brought up the wedding gown. Every single fight since they'd been married, without fail, Ron had always mentioned the sodding wedding gown. "I didn't want to wear it!" she said angrily. "It was my wedding. Don't you think I was bloody well entitled to wear what I wanted? Besides, it was old, musty and falling apart. Or did you want more of a reason for people to mock us for being poor?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Hermione regretted it. They had come to this point previously in their arguments, but she had never stepped over the line before. It was as though there was a line that said DO NOT CROSS in capital letters and she had just gone and strode across it.   
  
She could see Ron's face turning red. "You didn't just say that..." he expostulated.   
  
"Ron," Hermione said quickly. "I didn't mean it."   
  
"I thought," Ron said, sounding hurt, "that you didn't mind that I was poor."   
  
Guilt swirled all around her. "I don't mind," Hermione insisted. "Truly, I don't. I shouldn't have said it. I didn't mean to say it. I'm fine with our lifestyle." He looked at her with what she had always termed puppy dog eyes. Before, it had always made her heart melt with love, but now it just made her feel even more guilty. Plus, she decided, it was a rather pathetic expression for a grown man to be wearing.   
  
"Is that why you've been working so much?" Ron asked. "To earn more money?"   
  
"No!" Hermione protested, but even as she said it, she wondered if he was right. She had always been ambitious, while Ron hadn't. She wanted to succeed at work and find promotions, while Ron seemed happy waiting for promotions to come floating his way.   
  
"I can see that you're lying," he told her, shaking his head. "Look, I can't ... I can't talk about this now. I need to get out of here."   
  
In a daze, Hermione watched as he grabbed his bag and strode towards the front door. In all their previous arguments, Ron had never just left before. Generally, when he was furious, he sat there silently. She had stormed out a few times, but usually she just went into their bedroom and slammed the door. "You can't just leave," she snapped. "We're in the middle of something here."   
  
"Oh," Ron said, in a slightly mocking tone, "so all those times you walk out of the door when we're having an argument... how come it's okay when you do it?"   
  
She had no answer to that.   
  
"Don't bother following me," Ron said, as he closed the door behind him.   
  
Hermione thought she might have preferred it if he had just slammed it. She half-considered following him, but then decided against it. Walking over to the kitchen, she grabbed a wine bottle from a cabinet and a corkscrew. She was going to damn well enjoy the wine they had been saving for their anniversary that year.   
  


-***-

  
  
It had started off as a normal professional meeting. She felt a small twinge of attraction to him, but she had managed to dismiss it easily. Even, Lucius seemed to be acting normally, or as normally as she could presume given she didn't know him well.   
  
Then it all seemed to go downhill.   
  
Hermione wasn't sure how she ended up with her robes pulled up around her waist, sitting on the table with Lucius slowly kissing a trail down her neck. It seemed like one minute, she had been absent-mindedly nibbling on the lunch that had been given to them and telling him about the appeals process and the next minute, his lips were on hers and the papers on the table were shoved to one side and forgotten. The rest of what had happened was a blur but from the ache deep inside her and the soft skin of Lucius's cock underneath her fingers, she thought she could figure it out.   
  
She shifted slightly, and pulled a pen out from under her and tossed it onto the floor. "This... we shouldn't be doing this," she managed to get out.   
  
"Yes," Lucius agreed unexpectedly. There was a strange look in his eyes, lust mingled with something else. He opened his mouth, but she didn't want to find out what he was about to say.   
  
Hermione dragged him forward and gave him a bruising kiss. This was wrong, a thousand shades of wrong, but Hermione wasn't sure what the right thing to do anymore was. She wanted this, she knew that much. She hadn't wanted anything else so much in her life. She to wrap her legs around Lucius and feel him sliding inside her.   
  
From the moan that escaped Lucius, she surmised that he wanted the same thing. He pulled her forward and pressed the tip of his cock up against her. She wriggled forward slightly as he thrust. "Harder," Hermione gasped as she dug her nails into Lucius's back. She didn't care if she left bruises or drew blood. It wasn't as though anybody would notice the marks on his back anyway. She inhaled sharply as he quickened his pace. The table was hard against her arse and the position of her neck was distinctly uncomfortable, but somehow this felt like the best sex she had ever had.   
  
The ache inside her built up until she was almost squirming on the table. She pressed her thighs against his hips and wrapped her legs around him until she felt the exquisite, almost agony of release.   
  
As she felt her own heartbeat slow down, she could hear Lucius gasping against her ear. His thrusts slowed down and she could feel him slump against her. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "you're much better than Ron."   
  
Lucius stiffened. He pushed himself off the table and stood up. "I would hope so," he drawled.   
  
"In fact," Hermione found herself saying, "Ron's being a bit of a twat lately." Dimly, at the back of her mind, Hermione wasn't sure why she was saying it, but the words just spilt out. "We keep on fighting."   
  
Lucius tweaked one of her nipples. "Then isn't it good that you have me," he told her.   
  


-***-

  
  
Hermione dug her fingers into her palms as she leaned down to kiss Ron. He tilted his head up sniffed slightly. "Did you have a shower?"   
  
"I had one right after work," Hermione said, trying her best to keep her breathing even. She could still vividly remember Lucius kissing his way down her neck, almost viciously. She had to charm away the visible bruising but it was still tender. She resisted the urge to lift up her hand to touch her neck.   
  
Ron reached over and ran a fingertip over her shoulder. "You smell nice." His eyes gleamed. "Why don't you have another shower? I'll join you. It's been a long time since we've done that."   
  
He reached out to wrap his arms around her but she twisted deftly away. "I've got work to do," she said. It wasn't a lie. She did have work to do but she also didn't want to face Ron. Not after what had happened. Not when she was still sore from the afternoon with Lucius.   
  
Ron looked disappointed.   
  
As Hermione walked away, she turned over the events of the afternoon in her mind. She had no idea what had happened. Yes, she had been attracted to Lucius. She had been attracted to other men while being married before. That wasn't a crime. She would have been surprised if Ron hadn't felt a twinge of attraction for other women during their years of being married.   
  
But she'd never acted upon the attraction.   
  
However, for the last few days, the attraction had just overpowered her. It had felt animalistic the way she turned and dragged Lucius forward by his Azkaban prison robes. Lucius had a look of such surprise in his eyes when she had pushed him down onto the table. Hermione ran her fingers over her neck. Lucius had quickly recovered though, she thought wryly.   
  
She was suddenly hit with a debilitating feeling of guilt. Hermione leaned up against the bedroom wall, and pressed her forehead against the cool plasterboard. How could she have done something like that to Ron? With Lucius Malfoy of all people? She knew that she should walk back into the other room, and tell Ron what had happened, but she also knew that if she did, it would be the end of her marriage.   
  
Do I want to save my marriage? Hermione thought suddenly. The thought was disorientating. It was something that hadn't occurred to her before, even through the worst times. She had always thought she'd stay married to Ron forever.   
  
She loved Ron.   
  
Didn't she?   
  
Hermione wasn't sure any longer. She certainly hadn't felt anything as strong as what she felt that afternoon in years. She wasn't sure if she had ever felt so _compelled_ by Ron. It was as if she was following every action Lucius made with her eyes.   
  


-***-

  
  
"I'm worried about you," Harry said quietly. He hesitated. "You seem so tense nowadays."   
  
Hermione tried to smile but she suspected that it came out rather crooked. "It's just the case," she said. "I've been really busy on it. Sorry, we couldn't make it to dinner with you and Severus last weekend. I really wanted to go but something came up." Hermione crossed her fingers beneath the table, hoping that Harry wouldn't ask for specifics. She had ended up in another fight with Ron that weekend, and afterwards, neither of them wanted to be cheerful and have dinner with Harry and Severus.   
  
"Ron told me about the fight," Harry said bluntly.   
  
"Oh." Hermione felt a surge of irrational rage as she clenched her fists. How dare Ron talk to Harry about their private fights?   
  
"Don't be mad," Harry pleaded. "I can see that you're mad."   
  
Hermione smiled tightly. "I'm not mad," she lied.   
  
"You are," Harry told her, with a sigh. "You're annoyed at Ron for telling me about the fight. I know you are. He's worried about you. So am I. You seem so distant."   
  
"I'm fine," Hermione said, almost automatically. Why was everybody on her case all of a sudden? "It's just the Lucius Malfoy case."   
  
"Another thing," Harry added. "Invariably, every time we talk, you bring the conversation back around to the case."   
  
"It's an important part of my life right now," Hermione said. She suddenly had a vivid memory of Lucius pushing her into the wall, her own fingers clawing at his robes, hiking them up so that he could enter her roughly. She shook her head slightly. "It's my job, Harry," she said reproachfully. "Surely you understand that."   
  
Harry frowned. "Of course I do," he said. "But I'm your friend and Ron's your husband. We're part of your life as well."   
  
"I know that," she said in exasperation. "I love you guys. I really do. But sometimes, work needs to take priority for a while." She swallowed the sudden surge of guilt she felt bubbling up in her stomach.   
  
Harry looked doubtful. "If you say so," he said. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you. Heck, even Severus is worried."   
  
Hermione raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Well," Harry amended, "he's slightly worried. But you know that getting Severus to admit something is like pulling teeth."   
  
Despite everything, Hermione grinned. She knew exactly how Severus was. Even now, after so many years of being together with Harry, he was still awkward whenever they had dinner together. Severus always behaved perfectly; however, she suspected that he wasn't particularly relaxed around her and Ron. It was only after they had a buffet dinner together, and she had come back to the table to see Severus and Harry alone together, that she had realised what a wonderful relationship they really had and how natural they seemed together.   
  
"You will tell me if anything's ever wrong, won't you?" Harry insisted.   
  
She sighed. "Of course, I will. The same goes for you, okay?"   
  
Harry grinned impishly. "I'm not saying that we don't have any problems, but when we do, making up is usually the best part."   
  
Hermione rolled her eyes.   
  


-***-

  
  
"You keep on working late, and then you come home and just read," Ron complained. "You never talk to me. Weren't you the one going on about communication being a vital part of marriage?"   
  
"Sorry," Hermione said automatically without even looking up from the book she was reading.   
  
"Would you look at me when you're talking?" Ron said in exasperation.   
  
Hermione looked up. She could feel a knot in her stomach when she saw the suspicious look in his eyes. A little voice at the back of her head asked her why she was doing this, but she ignored it. "I'm looking at you now," she pointed out.   
  
"I feel like we haven't connected for so long," Ron said quietly.   
  
"I'm sorry that I've been so tired."   
  
"Not that," Ron snapped. "We haven't connected emotionally! Or physically either, I suppose, but I wasn't talking about that."   
  
Hermione bit her lip. She knew the reason for that, but she didn't want to tell Ron. It would ruin her marriage. Not that there was much of a marriage to ruin at this point. Right now, it just seemed like a simulacra of a marriage.   
  
"You just seem so focused on that case," Ron told her. "I know it's important but aren't we important too?"   
  
Hermione could feel her heart pounding. Ron was right. Their marriage was important. She knew that. Reaching over, she squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It's only for a little bit longer. And then this will be over." She vowed to herself that it was the truth. She wouldn't see Lucius again after the case. She would have no reason to. It was just a fling. Like a summer fling. It was a momentary lapse of judgement. Nothing more.   
  
Ron only looked slightly mollified.   
  


-***-

  
  
Hermione gasped as Lucius swirled his tongue around her clit. "I have a meeting set up with the Appeals Tribunal tomorrow," she managed to get out as Lucius slid his fingers in and out of her. Fuck, it shouldn't have felt so good, especially since she _knew_ that the guards were right outside the door and her locking spell on the door wouldn't hold them for long if they chose to come in.   
  
"Good," Lucius said, his voice slightly husky as he lifted his head up. Hermione could feel him teasing her, rubbing her clit lightly so she had to arch her back up to meet those fingers.   
  
"We should be working," she said, for what seemed to be the fifth time but Lucius ignored her but even to her own ears, she didn't sound particularly convincing. "Oh fuck," she gasped as Lucius slid down to kneel on the floor. His tongue teased her, and she reached down to entwine her fingers in his hair, pulling him forward. Her vow to herself just this morning seemed like a dim memory as Hermione threw her head back. She was especially glad of the privacy spell she had cast in the room because she suspected that without the spell, the rest of Azkaban would have been treated to the sound of her moaning.   
  
"We'll work later," Lucius whispered into her ear as he stood up and pulled her forward on the table. "Much later."   
  


-***-

  
  
Ron's breathing was ragged. "Are you having an affair?" he asked, his voice harsh.   
  
Hermione swallowed hard. This was what she had been waiting for. The moment of truth. "I won't even dignify that with an answer," she said icily. The guilt twisted her stomach, but she continued, "Ronald Arthur Weasley, how could you think that of me?"   
  
Ron narrowed his eyes and lifted his arm. For one frightening moment, Hermione thought that he was about to punch the wall or worse. He then let it fall slowly to his side. "You're acting so differently lately," he told her, his voice shaking. "I don't know what to think any more. We haven't had sex in a week!"   
  
It was actually more like several weeks, but Hermione didn't think this was the best time to bring that up. She decided to take refuge in denial and sarcasm. "Just who do you think I'm having this hypothetical affair with?" Her stomach churned as she added, "Lucius Malfoy? Draco Malfoy? The Minister of Magic."   
  
Ron gave a slight smile. "Well, no," he said. "I didn't think that. Merlin, you'd be one stupid git to sleep with a snake like either of the Malfoys."   
  
Hermione let out a mental sigh of relief.   
  
Ron suddenly gave her a suspicious look. "You aren't sleeping with Kingsley, are you?"   
  
She stared.   
  
"No, of course you aren't," Ron said. He bit his lip. "Look, Hermione, I'm sorry for what I said."   
  
Hermione felt a stab of guilt as she examined the floor underneath her feet. He shouldn't be apologising. In fact, she ought to be the one apologising. After all, she was the one sleeping with Lucius Malfoy. And Ron was right, it was a stupid move. She had run it over hundreds of times in her mind, and she still couldn't figure out why she was doing it and why she seemed willing to risk her marriage for something as sordid as an affair with a Malfoy. She looked up. Ron still hadn't moved from where he was standing beside the wall. His hands were still clenched into fists; it was apparent that despite what he said, he didn't believe that she was telling the truth. "I know we've been having some problems," she said slowly.   
  
Ron nodded. "We seem to fight about everything." He looked helpless as he spread his arms. "I don't want to fight, but ... it just happens."   
  
"I don't want to fight either," Hermione admitted.   
  
Ron took a few steps forward and took her hand. "We need to work on this."   
  


-***-

  
  
Hermione slowly and systematically shredded pieces of paper. She looked down at the mess she had made on the bed and sighed. Fortunately, Ron wouldn't be back for several hours. He had a big case and needed to work late. She could only imagine the big fight they would have if he got home to find her randomly shredding pieces of paper on the bed. She squinted down at the mess, and realised that she had been shredding the old love letters she had kept from Ron back from when they were at Hogwarts.   
  
She had been looking through her old keepsake box earlier and had been reading the letters. She kept small tokens from back when they were at Hogwarts, such as the ribbon she wore in her hair on their first date. She didn't think that Ron kept anything from that long ago, but once in a while, Hermione found that she enjoyed looking back at the past.   
  
Hermione twisted the wedding ring around her finger. She still loved Ron. At least she thought she did. But it wasn't the heady love she had felt back when they were young. She had always thought that love slowly settled down into a shape that could last an eternity. She had always thought that the comfortable feeling she had with Ron was supposed to be how it was. Except, the last few weeks had taught her that they had too many fights for her comfort. She had just gotten used to it.  
  
  
  
She bit her lip and stared at the shredded letters. Waving her wand, she sent them into the wastepaper basket and vowed to empty it before Ron got home. They had been so much in love back then.   
  
So young and so in love.   
  


-***-

  
  
"I know about you and Lucius Malfoy. You're having an affair with him."   
  
Hermione spun around. She could feel her hands shaking. In an attempt to steady them, she shoved them in the pockets of her robes. "What?" she said. "That's ludicrous."   
  
Ron stared at her. He seemed almost calm, but it was the eerie calm of a lake right before a thunderstorm. She could sense the flood of emotions behind his steady eyes, but he was obviously keeping them well at bay. "I'm not an idiot, Hermione," he told her. "I mightn't be as smart as you, but I'm no idiot."   
  
"Ron," Hermione said, trying to inject humour into the situation. Inwardly, she was panicking. From the look in his eyes, he obviously knew. She knew the look. It was more than suspicion. It was more than simply being jealous or some sort of sixth sense. He _knew_. "Why would I do that with Lucius Malfoy? I might be representing him but I know he hates Muggle-borns. He's made that emphatically clear every time I've seen him. You know about the deal with Judith..."   
  
"Of course, I know about that," Ron interrupted. "I also remember telling you that it was a stupid idea."   
  
"You said it was a bad idea," Hermione corrected.   
  
Ron narrowed his eyes and for a second, Hermione felt like she couldn't even recognise the man she had been married to for so many years. He looked so hard and so brittle. It seemed as though if she reached over and pushed him over, he would fall and smash into a million pieces. "I told you Lucius Malfoy was a sneaky bastard," he said.   
  
"I'm not having an affair with him, Ron," she protested.   
  
Ron raised a hand. "Spare me," he said. "I know you are."   
  
Hermione swallowed. "What makes you think I am?" she asked, a tiny quaver in her voice.   
  
"Despite knowing this," Ron continued as if she hadn't spoken at all, "I still think I should warn you about him."   
  
He wanted to warn her? Hermione was confused. This conversation was going nothing like how she had imagined it. She had thought that Ron would scream, yell and perhaps threaten divorce. She was prepared for anger, coldness, tears but she wasn't prepared for seemingly friendly advice. "What?" she asked, incredulous.   
  
"He's manipulating you," Ron told her.   
  
"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione said. "I'm not having an affair and I'm not being manipulated by Lucius Malfoy."   
  
Ron gave a slight smile. "You are and you don't even know it." He reached down, pulled a file out of his briefcase, and placed it on the table. He then pushed his chair back and stood up.   
  
After a brief hesitation, Hermione picked up the file. Opening it, she could see that it was about an illegal potion. "This is preposterous," she said. "What makes you think that Lucius gave me this?" She waved the file around.   
  
Ron's eyes glittered. "I have my own sources."   
  
"What on earth does that mean?" she demanded but Ron didn't reply. He simply walked away out the front door, closing it firmly behind him.   
  


-***-

  
  
Hermione inhaled deeply as the door opened. "Well?" she asked sharply as the mediwitch walked into the room. Belatedly, she realised that her question could have been interpreted as being rude. She softened her voice slightly as she asked, "Is there anything wrong?"   
  
The mediwitch looked up from where she was scanning over the results. "It seems that you've been under the influence of something. Our lab techs haven't been able to figure out how it was introduced but they are fairly confident that it wasn't a spell. They believe that it might have been an orally ingested potion or perhaps a gaseous substance that you breathed in."   
  
Hermione's mouth dropped open. She hadn't expected Ron to be right.   
  
"Have you been feeling dizzy or light-headed for the last few weeks?" the mediwitch asked, waving her wand across Hermione's body. "Your temperature and blood pressure are slightly elevated."   
  
"I've been feeling a bit tired," Hermione admitted, but she had just thought that was because she had been fighting so much with Ron. She had barely had a good night of sleep in the last three weeks, ever since she had taken on the Lucius Malfoy case. "What was I under the influence of?"   
  
"Our toxicology tests tell us that the potion is a variant of Veritaserum, but more subtle. It works on lowering the conscious mind and allowing other parts of the mind to take over. It would be similar to you ingesting a bottle of Firewhiskey but with none of the side-effects of alcohol," the mediwitch said, with a frown. "It is a highly controlled substance, but not illegal. I'm going to have to report this exposure so that the Ministry can track whether it was an accident or something deliberate." She reached over and patted Hermione on the arm. "It's good that you came now. From the levels in your blood, you've been exposed for quite a while. I'm going to have to ask you to use a Pensieve for your memories of the past few weeks."   
  
Hermione froze.   
  
"Don't worry, dear," the mediwitch said reassuringly. "We're not here to judge you." She bustled over to a cupboard and pulled out a bottle. She handed it to Hermione. "Now drink that. It'll clear your system."   
  
Hermione put the small bottle down on her lap. She glanced down at the label. It was a cleansing potion; however, this was specifically designed to bind to all magical potions in her system.   
  
"You'll be able to take any normal potions or whatnot that you're on in twelve hours after you've taken this," the mediwitch told her. "It might cause stomach cramps. You can take Muggle medicine in the meantime for any pain." She handed Hermione a small jar of Muggle painkillers. "I'll be back with the Pensieve."   
  
Hermione stared down at the floor. While she could understand why the mediwitch needed to know, she had no desire to draw out the memories of her affair with Lucius. She still felt as though they were perfectly consensual even though she knew she was under the influence of something. In any case, having an affair with a client would cause her to be fired. She certainly didn't want that! A small voice at the back of her head wondered if she was being irrational, but she ignored it.   
  
When the mediwitch re-entered the room, Hermione drew out her wand. "Obliviate!"   
  


-***-

  
  
"You did this to me," Hermione accused, her hands shaking. She could hear her voice becoming shrill. "You ruined my marriage. Fuck, you made me sleep with you." Her heart pounded in her ears, loudly, almost drowning out the pain of what she had done. "How dare you? How could you do something like that?" She pulled out her wand with trembling fingers and levelled it at Lucius's head. "Tell me why I shouldn't say those two words. Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you, right now."   
  
To her surprise, a slow smile spread over Lucius's face. "I didn't _make_ you do anything," he drawled.   
  
"You did something," Hermione spat. "I know you did." She took a step closer, narrowing her eyes.   
  
"You didn't let me finish," Lucius told her, amusement tinging his tone. "I didn't make you do anything. It was merely a spell that lowered your inhibitions."   
  
Hermione could feel her blood boil. Even though that was exactly what the mediwitch had told her, it still made her furious. She clenched her fists tightly, digging her fingernails into her palms in a controlled effort not to scream as loud as she could. "And that makes it okay?" she got out through gritted teeth.   
  
Lucius smirked. "It was your choice, Hermione."   
  
She shivered as he lightly ran a finger down her arm. Memories came tumbling into her mind of how he had pushed her down on a table not unlike this. She shook her head to clear the thoughts. She definitely wasn't under the spell now. She had checked before coming in today. Her blood workup from St Mungo's yesterday had come back clean of all spells and potions. So, damn it, why could he still seem to do this to her?   
  
Abruptly, Hermione spun around and walked out of the room. Once outside, she leaned up against the cool stone walls and closed her eyes. What was wrong with her? It was as though as soon as she saw Lucius, her previously dearly held notions of right and wrong were flung out of the window. She could feel an almost physical ache for him.   
  
A bitter smile twisted her lips. That was definitely the right word. _Physical_. She definitely was attracted to him, no doubt about it. Even now, even without the spell, she felt like she was being drawn across the room. It had to be leftover magic from the spell. There was no way she could be actually attracted to Lucius. He was nothing like the men she had been attracted to in the past. Most of them had been sweet, and slightly awkward, like Ron and Viktor. Lucius Malfoy was anything but awkward. His voice was smooth and silky, and as she listened to him, it felt like she was being slowly smothered by liquid honey.   
  
Squaring her chin, Hermione walked back into the room. "You are a disgusting cretin," she announced. "From this moment, you are no longer my client." She took out her wand, and was about to perform the unbinding spell when Lucius lifted his hand.   
  
"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked mildly.   
  
She narrowed her eyes. "I should have never taken this case," she snapped.   
  
"But you did," Lucius pointed out. "And you made a deal with your boss."   
  
Hermione's fingers trembled. How on earth did he know that? Obviously her boss had known and she had told Ron when she had first taken on the case, but she definitely never mentioned it to Lucius.   
  
"I can see from your expression that you're wondering how I came about by that small slice of information," Lucius said with a smirk.   
  
"As a matter of fact, I am wondering exactly that," Hermione said acidly. "But it doesn't matter. I refuse to represent you any longer."   
  
"You would forgo the definite promotion if you won my appeal?" Lucius asked mildly. "And what about your famous morals? Don't I deserve representation? You know nobody else will do it."   
  
She hesitated too long. From the look of triumph on Lucius's face, she realised that he knew that she didn't. She had worked too long and hard for this job. To be able to get Lucius Malfoy out of Azkaban would be the icing on her legal career. As much as she found Lucius despicable – now more than ever – she had to admit that deep down, she still believed that he deserved legal representation. "I should let you rot in Azkaban for the rest of your life," she spat.   
  
-***-   
  
Hermione clenched her hands into fists underneath her napkin. She should have never agreed to have coffee with Harry. She wasn't sure what she had been thinking. Of course, Ron would have talked to him, and of course, Ron would have mentioned their recent marital problems. But she hadn't thought of that when Harry had waved to her as she was going out to lunch.   
  
"How could you..." Harry said, trailing off.   
  
She couldn't bear the look of disappointment in his eyes. "It's nothing to do with you," she said stiffly, hoping that Harry could just leave it at that. It wasn't as though she had betrayed _him_.   
  
He sighed. "I don't know if you're even hearing what you're saying."   
  
Hermione held up her hand before he could continue. "I know what you're about to say," she said quietly, "and I've heard it all before. I don't want to discuss this in such a public area."   
  
Harry looked around at the people sitting at the other tables, happily chatting away, before turning back to her. He nodded. "Fine," he said tersely. "Not here, then."   
  
Hermione sighed. "I didn't mean I wanted to discuss it at all," she added. She reached over and poured herself another cup of tea. She inhaled the sharp smell of peppermint. It helped clear her head and Merlin knew her head needed clearing nowadays. It was as though her world had been turned upside down in the short period of just over a month.   
  
"I'm your friend," Harry told her. "I want you to be happy, of course. But I'm not sure that this will make you happy. Do you want to throw away your marriage for a fling like this? Not only your marriage... do you want to throw away the friendship?"   
  
She opened her mouth to say, 'of course not' but the words wouldn't come out. There was no chance that she was going to continue a relationship with Lucius, but she didn't want to stay married to Ron either. "I don't think our marriage was working out anyway," she managed to finally say. "I just didn't see it until now."   
  
Harry shook his head. "Do you even love him?"   
  
"Who?"   
  
"Malfoy," Harry said, with a frown.   
  
"Of course not," she said automatically.   
  
The look on Harry's face would have been priceless if the situation was less serious. "Then why on earth are you continuing as his lawyer?" he asked through gritted teeth.   
  
"Because, if I don't, then nobody else will," she said practically. "As I told you before, he deserves representation, regardless of how reprehensible he is."   
  
Harry stared. "You're talking like you _hate_ him."   
  
Hermione considered it. She did hate him or at least it was a very strong dislike but she obviously couldn't tell Harry that. She couldn't tell him the real reason why she was continuing with the case. In fact, she wasn't that sure of her own reasoning. It felt like if she questioned it too much, it would all unravel in her mind and she would be left with nothing. She had already lost her marriage; she wasn't going to risk possibly lose her job as well. "Of course, I don't hate him," she said patiently. "Otherwise, why would I have slept with him?"   
  


-***-

  
  
Ron threw the papers on the table.   
  
Without even looking down, Hermione knew what they were. There was a knot of apprehension in her stomach but it wasn't as big as she would have thought. Divorce wasn't as scary as it was even a few months back. "Are you sure," she asked quietly.   
  
Ron nodded curtly. "I've been thinking it over. Even without this recent... thing..." He sat down on the couch with a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. It was such a familiar gesture that it made her heart ache. Almost without thinking, she sat down and wrapped her arms around him. She then froze. It was something she had always done whenever Ron was upset, but it was obviously completely, horribly inappropriate at this point in time.   
  
Awkwardly, Hermione shifted over on the couch. "Sorry," she said softly. "You have to know that I didn't mean for it to end out this way." She laughed bitterly. Her words sounded hollow even to her own ears.   
  
He sighed and bit his lip, looking like the eighteen year old boy she had fallen head over heels in love with. Then his face shifted and his expression steadied. She studied him closely. Ron was looking older nowadays and different. She could still see flashes of the man she had loved for so many years, but all in all, Ron wasn't the same person any more. "I keep on thinking what I could have done wrong," Ron burst out.   
  
"Oh Ron," she said. "You didn't..."   
  
"I know I didn't do anything wrong," Ron interrupted, his voice even. "There was nothing I did that drove you to cheat on me." He paused. "Look, I didn't want to turn this into a fight. I just keep on thinking about when all of this turned upside down and I can't pinpoint it. We've been bickering for so long that I think it became natural. And that isn't what marriage should be about."   
  
"I agree," she said quietly. "For what it's worth, Ron, I _am_ sorry."   
  
"I don't need your apologies," Ron told her. "I need you to sign those papers so I can begin the divorce proceedings."   
  
Hermione picked up the giant wad of papers. Ron's signature was already on them. All she had to do was sign them. "I'm going to have to look over this," she said.   
  
To her surprise, Ron cracked a brief smile. "I should have known you were going to say that. Don't worry, they're just standard divorce proceedings."   
  
"I'm still going to have to..." she said, trailing off.   
  
"I know," Ron said.   
  
She looked over at him. "I'll get these back to you tomorrow. Or do you want me to file them at the Ministry?"   
  
"It's probably best if we're both there," Ron said. "I'll owl you in the morning." With that, he picked up his bag and walked towards the door.   
  
Hermione watched him. "Ron?" she said, as he opened the door. Ron turned around. "You're looking good," she said. It was true. He was looking different but good. She wasn't sure but she thought that his robes were new. She really hadn't been paying much attention to his clothes over the past few years.   
  
Ron nodded. "Pansy chose these robes. I think they're nice." He closed the door behind him.   
  
Hermione was stunned. Pansy? She stared at the door. Pansy chose those robes for him? She thought there had been something different about Ron, but she hadn't wanted to ask. Besides, she didn't think that Ron wanted to talk to her. Apparently, he had been talking to somebody else though, who had been picking robes out for him.   
  
She felt an irrational twist of jealousy and quashed it.   
  


-***-

  
  
It was intensely awkward the next time Hermione came to visit Lucius at Azkaban. To spite him, she had chosen her most professional looking Muggle suit. It was a charcoal grey, and she had paired it with a severe looking frilly white blouse. She had almost been disappointed when he didn't comment on it. "The appeal's next week," she said crisply. She had never had any problems being professional before this incident, and she could always rely on that to get her through the next week. "I trust that you've practiced what you're planning to say to the Wizengamot."   
  
"Of course," Lucius said smoothly, giving her a polite smile. "I must commend you on your knowledge of the law. Very few lawyers would have found this loophole."   
  
Hermione wasn't sure that was something she ought to be proud of. After all, she was getting a former Death Eater out of Azkaban. She was quite positive that he wasn't at all repentant for his actions during either of the wars. It had been sheer dumb luck that she had managed to stumble across the error in the trial judge's sentencing that had led her to re-examine Lucius's original trial more carefully. She glared at him. And why was he looking so calm? He looked like a cat that had just pounced on a mouse and was licking its chops in anticipation. "You're welcome," she said stiffly.   
  
"I understand that you're getting a divorce," Lucius said blandly. "My commiserations. I've been through a divorce and they're never easy."   
  
Hermione stared. "You don't need to put on this pretence," she snapped. "You're the sole reason for my divorce and you know it."   
  
Lucius's upper lip curled. He pushed his chair back and stood up.   
  
She gritted her teeth. He wasn't going to get away with that trick. Roughly, Hermione scraped her own chair back and also stood up, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew how to play this game. He wasn't going to intimidate her.   
  
"A reason, yes," he said, his voice like liquid honey, smooth and sticky. "However, certainly not the sole reason. My dear, you were a willing participant."   
  
Hermione shivered as he took a step forward. She could feel herself breaking out in goosebumps. Lucius reached out, and brushed a finger across the side of her face lightly. She recoiled at the touch, and stepped backwards, into the wall.   
  
"There's nowhere to go," Lucius said softly, his voice menacing. "You're in a corner, Hermione. You have a brilliant mind, an incandescent mind, but even you can't get out of this situation." He sounded almost admiring.   
  
Hermione shuddered. His voice seemed to caress her name, even as he threatened her. "Get away from me," she snapped, glad that she was able to keep her voice steady. "I could call the guards."   
  
"Privacy spell, remember?" Lucius gloated. "They won't be able to hear us."   
  
"I have my wand," she snapped, reaching down. It was at that point, Hermione realised that she didn't actually have her wand. It wouldn't fit in her Muggle suit. Right now, her wand was sitting in her briefcase, which was sitting next to the table. She couldn't reach it.   
  
Lucius smirked.   
  
He wasn't even touching her, Hermione realised. And even without the potion to take away her inhibitions, she was still attracted to him. There was still something about him, something about the almost feral gleam in his eyes and the way he moved and the soft, sibilant syllables he uttered that made her want to step forward. She wanted to grab him by the collar and yank him down to the ground and kiss him as viciously as he had torn apart her life.   
  
It was obvious that he was enjoying this. And it was with consternation that Hermione realised that she was enjoying it too. She could hear her own breath coming in shallow gasps and the hammering of her heartbeat in her ears. It would be so easy for her to reach up...   
  
Hermione bit the inside of her cheek. She needed to concentrate. "We need to focus on your appeal," she said calmly. She took a step forward and was gratified when Lucius turned away back to the table.   
  
"You're right," he said.   
  
She frowned. Was that a note of regret in his voice? No, that was ridiculous. This was all a ploy to get her to work harder on his case. She didn't doubt that he probably got some amusement out of it, but she very much doubted if he was actually attracted to her in anything but a purely physical way.   
  
"Let's get back to work then," Lucius said as he sat back down at the table.   
  
Hermione sat down as well. She looked at the papers spread out in front of her. "I need you to go over your statement of events one more time," she said as she found the right pieces of parchment. "And then sign and date it at the bottom."   
  
Lucius took the parchment from her without a note of argument, which surprised her. Hermione found herself watching him as he read over the pieces of parchment. She noticed that his brow furrowed slightly whenever he was concentrating.   
  
Appalled, Hermione kicked herself mentally. She shouldn't be staring after him like a lovesick puppy. It was bad enough that he seemed to haunt her thoughts and that she was dreaming about him. She couldn't help her thoughts and dreams. It certainly didn't mean she actually had to look at him though.   
  


-***-

  
  
Hermione woke up panting. Her sheets were drenched with sweat and as she reached down, she realised that her underwear was wet. She'd had one of those dreams about Lucius again. One of those vivid dreams that made her twist up with guilt and wonder what she could have done differently.   
  
Was she so easy to manipulate? After all, Lucius seemed to have no problems. She had ruined her marriage because of him and she was still dreaming about the man. Logically, Hermione knew that dreams didn't mean anything. Heck, she'd had dreams about having sex with people who she was completely not attracted to in reality. But it still didn't stop her from biting down on her lower lip and feeling guilty.   
  


-***-

  
  
"Congratulations," the prosecutor said, giving her a thin-lipped smile.   
  
Hermione gave him a polite smile. "Your case was well argued," she said as she walked away, out of the Wizengamot atrium.   
  
Lucius was waiting for her outside. "Thanks to you, I'm a free man," he said.   
  
"I'll be glad to never see you again," Hermione snapped.   
  
"I suppose you're glad to get your promotion though," Lucius said with a lazy smile as the guards handed him his wand back. He held his wand up to the light and examined it. He then flicked it so that several pieces of parchment slid off the guard desk. The guard glared at him.   
  
"I am," Hermione said. Judith had grabbed her arm right after the verdict had been announced and had given her a stiff smile. "You're our newest partner. I keep my promises. You get to do fifty per cent pro bono work. Congratulations on the promotion," she had said. Hermione could tell that it took her a lot to say that.   
  
Lucius gave her a nod and turned to walk away. He had only walked a couple of steps before he turned around. "I suppose," he said slowly, "that this is the right time to mention that I was under the influence of the same potion."   
  
Hermione's eyes widened. She stumbled forward, and grabbed Lucius by the arm, dragging him towards a deserted alcove. She wove a secrecy spell around them, and then turned to him, her teeth gritted. "Explain!"   
  
"Our food was laced with the potion," Lucius told her calmly. He wrinkled his nose slightly. "Surely you didn't imagine that my plan to get out of Azkaban was to sleep with a Mudblood? What if you had reported me?"   
  
Hermione felt like the world was sliding out from under her feet again. In the last month, so much had happened in her life. She went from what she thought was a happy marriage with Ron to having Ron move out. She went from hating the very thought of Lucius Malfoy but wanting to represent him for the sake of justice to ... well, she wasn't even sure what she thought of Lucius anymore. If what he was telling her was the truth... "Who did it?" she asked sharply.   
  
He looked at her in mild surprise. "What makes you think that I'll tell you? After all, they did me an enormous favour."   
  
"I could still report you," Hermione threatened. "I could report all of this."   
  
"You won't," Lucius said a-matter-of-factly. "You'll be charged for what you did to the mediwitch in St Mungo's."   
  
She stared at him. "How did you know that?"   
  
Lucius smirked. "I have my sources. Surely you know that, Hermione."   
  
Hermione shivered at the way he said her name.   
  
Lucius took a step closer to her. "I know I still affect you," he said softly. "I also know that you would have researched the potion by now and you would have known that it only acts upon impulses that are already there. It couldn't have made you do anything you didn't already want to do to begin with." He reached up and pushed a lock of her hair away from her face.   
  
"You're despicable," she told him acidly.   
  
"I know," Lucius said.   
  
Before she could react, he had pulled her forward and was kissing her. It wasn't a gentle kiss. In fact, as his teeth nipped her lower lip, Hermione wondered if she was going to have a bruise there tomorrow. Then, almost as fast as it started, the kiss ended. Hermione watched, half-dazed as Lucius strode away and disappeared into the crowd.   
  
Slowly, Hermione took her wand from her pocket and dismantled the silencing spells. As she started to walk away, she suddenly realised something. Lucius had said that the potion would only act upon impulses that were already there. He was right. Everything she had researched said that the potion couldn't create impulses; it couldn't make people do what they truly didn't want to do.   
  
A slow smile spread across her face, and she wondered whether Lucius knew what he had been saying.   
  
He was under the influence of the potion as well.   
  
That meant that he was just as deep in this whole mess as she was. And she could definitely use this against him.   
  
_-finis_


End file.
